Whirlpool told to recall dryers in ‘unprecedented’ government move – BBC News

Posted June 12th, 2019 in consumer protection, fire, health & safety, news by tracey

‘The government is to issue an “unprecedented” recall notice of up to 500,000 Whirlpool tumble dryers which pose a fire safety risk.’

Full Story

BBC News, 12th June 2019

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

City regulator bans high overdraft fees to reform ‘dysfunctional’ market – The Guardian

‘The City regulator has accused UK banks of causing “significant harm” to their most vulnerable customers as it pushes ahead with a ban on excessive overdraft fees.’

Full Story

The Guardian, 7th June 2019

Source: www.theguardian.com

Phone and broadband firms to be forced to tell customers if they could be on cheaper deals under new Ofcom rules – Daily Telegraph

‘Broadband, TV, mobile and home phone companies will have to tell customers when their contract is coming to an end and show them the best deals available under new rules unveiled by Ofcom.

Full Story

Daily Telegraph, 15th May 2019

Source: www.telegraph.co.uk

Ticket resellers win tribunal case over action taken by trading standards team – Local Government Lawyer

‘Four ticket resellers have won a case in the First-Tier Tribunal, which ruled that North Yorkshire County Council took action out of time.’

Full Story

Local Government Lawyer, 26th April 2019

Source: www.localgovernmentlawyer.co.uk

Sainsbury’s-Asda merger blocked by regulator – BBC News

Posted April 25th, 2019 in competition, consumer protection, food, mergers, news by tracey

‘The proposed merger between Sainsbury’s and Asda has been blocked by the UK’s competition watchdog over fears it would raise prices for consumers.’

Full Story

BBC News, 25th April 2019

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Merricks v MasterCard: Collective Actions Reinvigorated – Competition Bulletin from Blackstone Chambers

Posted April 17th, 2019 in class actions, competition, consumer credit, consumer protection, news by tracey

‘The Court of Appeal today gave its much-anticipated judgment in the application to bring collective proceedings against MasterCard: see Merricks v MasterCard Incorporated and others [2019] EWCA Civ 674. It is a major victory for the Applicant and will reinvigorate the collective proceedings regime, which has seen disappointingly few cases brought since its introduction in 2015.’

Full Story

Competition Bulletin from Blackstone Chambers, 16th April 2019

Source: competitionbulletin.com

Mastercard ruling: almost every UK adult could receive payout – The Guardian

Posted April 17th, 2019 in class actions, competition, consumer credit, consumer protection, news by tracey

‘Almost every adult in the UK could receive a payout of up to £300 from Mastercard after a court ruling paved the way for a £14bn class action lawsuit.’

Full Story

The Guardian, 16th April 2019

Source: www.theguardian.com

Airport parking boss jailed for dumping cars in muddy fields – Daily Telegraph

Posted April 12th, 2019 in airports, company directors, consumer protection, fraud, news, parking by sally

‘In airport parking scammer has been sent to prison in one of the first cases of its kind after he made £1.4million leaving holidaymakers’ cars in muddy fields with keys in the window.’

Full Story

Daily Telegraph, 10th April 2019

Source: www.telegraph.co.uk

Competition watchdog to investigate funeral sector as prices escalate – The Guardian

Posted March 28th, 2019 in burials and cremation, competition, consumer protection, news by sally

‘Britain’s competition watchdog is launching a full investigation into the UK funeral market after it found the cost of organising a funeral increased by 6% each year – twice the inflation rate – for the last 14 years.’

Full Story

The Guardian, 28th March 2019

Source: www.theguardian.com

Gambling Commission defends taking no action on BetBright closure – The Guardian

Posted March 15th, 2019 in consumer protection, gambling, insolvency, news by sally

‘The Gambling Commission has defended its handling of the controversial closure of the online bookmaker BetBright, which decided to void bets with a potential payout of around £1m when it ceased operations last week, saying that customers of the firm would have received nothing back had the firm gone into liquidation.’

Full Story

The Guardian, 14th March 2019

Source: www.theguardian.com

Ofcom stiffens rules for broadband providers – OUT-LAW.com

Posted March 4th, 2019 in codes of practice, consumer protection, internet, news by sally

‘Broadband providers in the UK must promise customers a minimum guaranteed speed for their service at the point of sale under a new code of practice developed by telecoms regulator Ofcom that takes effect today.’

Full Story

OUT-LAW.com, 1st March 2019

Source: www.out-law.com

O2 rapped by Ofcom for slowing down video streaming – Daily Telegraph

Posted February 6th, 2019 in consumer protection, internet, news, telecommunications, video recordings by tracey

‘One of Britain’s biggest mobile phone operators has been criticised by Ofcom for compressing the quality of pictures and videos on its data network for millions of customers, downgrading their quality against net neutrality rules. The telecoms and broadcasting regulator forced O2, which has 25 million UK users, to make changes to its service that managed its network traffic and affected the quality of videos that users streamed or downloaded.’

Full Story

Daily Telegraph, 5th February 2019

Source: www.telegraph.co.uk

Hotel booking sites to end ‘misleading’ sales – BBC News

Posted February 6th, 2019 in advertising, consumer protection, hotels, internet, news by tracey

‘Expedia, Booking.com, Agoda, Hotels.com, ebookers and trivago have been investigated over pressure selling and misleading discount claims, the competition watchdog says.’

Full Story

BBC News, 6th February 2019

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

BSB agrees new transparency rules for the Bar – Bar Standards Board

‘The Bar Standards Board (BSB) last night agreed new rules to improve transparency standards for barristers’ clients. Subject to Legal Services Board (LSB) approval, the new rules will come into force in May 2019, with compliance spot-checking by the regulator starting from 2020.’

Full press release

Bar Standards Board, 1st February 2019

Source: www.barstandardsboard.org.uk

Plastic surgeons call for tougher UK rules on dermal fillers – The Guardian

Posted January 29th, 2019 in consumer protection, cosmetic surgery, news by sally

‘A growing number of botched dermal filler procedures in the UK has prompted plastic surgeons to warn that better regulation is needed to protect patients from rogue practitioners.’

Full Story

The Guardian, 29th January 2019

Source: www.theguardian.com

UK consulting on overhaul of allergen labelling laws – OUT-LAW.com

Posted January 29th, 2019 in allergies, consultations, consumer protection, food, labelling, news by sally

‘The UK government has announced a consultation into the rules governing allergen information on food which is prepacked and ready to eat.’

Full Story

OUT-LAW.com, 28th January 2019

Source: www.out-law.com

Tougher food labelling proposed to prevent allergy deaths – Daily Telegraph

Posted January 25th, 2019 in allergies, consultations, consumer protection, food, labelling, news by tracey

‘The Government has set out new proposals to toughen food labelling laws and protect the two million food allergy suffers across the country. The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs has launched a consultation into food labelling laws focusing on overhauling the labelling of pre-prepared foods such as sandwiches and salads which are made, packaged and sold in the same stores.’

Full Story

Daily Telegraph, 25th January 2019

Source: www.telegraph.co.uk

Scam victims whose losses are not ‘life changing’ will receive no redress, under bank plans – Daily Telegraph

‘Scam victims whose losses are not considered to be “life changing” could be excluded from a new compensation scheme under proposals by one of Britain’s biggest banks.’

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Daily Telegraph, 24th January 2019

Source: www.telegraph.co.uk

Students banned from accessing university emails for failing to pay rent, going against CMA rules – Daily Telegraph

‘Students have been banned from accessing university emails and shut out from campus libraries after failing to pay rent, it has been revealed. Undergraduates at the University of Liverpool who live in university-owned accommodation and are unable to pay their rent on time are being handed “academic sanctions”, contrary to Competition and Markets Authority rules.’

Full Story

Daily Telegraph, 16th January 2019

Source: www.telegraph.co.uk

Retailers broke rules by listing real fur items as fake, ASA says – The Guardian

‘The UK advertising watchdog has criticised two retailers for “misleading” consumers by advertising fashion items made from real animal fur as fake or “faux”.’

Full Story

The Guardian, 9th January 2019

Source: www.theguardian.com